NISA LEYLA

NISA LEYLA

PEACE

once again a massacre, again on my feet

I am alive since there is a hope.

I have trouble

like being alive

since auschwitz

the world war I

changed nothing

the world war II

and even vietnam

my pains are constantly growing

my pains are constantly growing

I was hitler, I buried the jews

I killed the natives in Vietnam

and the suckling babies in gaza

I became americanized

I killed all the time, I can kill again

I am a human being on my feet, freedom

ballad seems to be my enlightenment

I am on my feet since there is a hope

I compose poetry I am a barbarian poetess

I draw the pictures of the daisies

I have my rules, my constitutions

I am the world longing for peace

yet arranging everything according to war

I am expecting peace

I am expecting peace.

TRANSLATION: MESUT ŞENOL

barış

yine katliam, yine ayakta

umut’tan beri hayattayım.

canlı kalmak gibi

bir sıkıntı yaşıyorum

auschwitz’den beri

birinci dünya savaşı

bana mısın demedi

ikinci dünya savaşı

ve vietnam dahi

sürekli yeşeriyor acılarım

sürekli yeşeriyor acılarım

hitler’dim, gömdüm yahudilerimi

vietnam’da öldürdüm yerlileri

gazze’de emzikli bebeleri

amerikalılaştım

hep öldürdüm, yine öldürürüm

insanım ayaktayım, özgürlük

türküsü aydınlığım

umut’tan beri ayaktayım

şiir yazıyorum barbar şairim

resmini çiziyorum papatyaların

kurallarım var, anayasalarım

her şeyi savaşa göre ayarlayan

barışı özleyen dünyayım

barışa hep gebeyim

barışa hep gebeyim.

Nisa Leyla

LOCUST

they asked my language, my religion

I got wise to hide my identity

my lover, my dreams

I found out like this way

the secret, darkness, oneliness.

like the ant

that found a refuge under a leaf

to avoid getting drowned in the flood

and being run over by the foot of and elephant.

then I turned into a locust

I mastered to hide

by toing and froing with the leaves

I saluted the universal void

with my soil

via the fear ready to be cut out

I waved at the small world

in the color of the dawn

and the night

they asked my language, my religion

they never knew that I came

from a violet having collected

footsteps.

TRANSLATION : NISA LEYLA

çekirge

dilimi sordular, dinimi

saklamayı öğrendim kimliğimi

sevgilimi, düşlerimi

böyle böyle öğrendim

gizi, karanlığı, tekliği.

tufanda boğulmaktan

filin ayağında ezilmekten

yaprak altına sığınan

karınca misâli.

çekirgeleştim sonra

daldan dala sekerek

öğrendim gizlenmeyi

evrensel boşluğa

selam verdim toprağımı

biçilmeye hazır korkuyla

küçük bir dünyaya

el salladım şafak ve

gece renginde

dilimi sordular, dinimi

hiç bilmediler ayak sesi

biriktiren menekşeden

geldiğimi.

Nisa Leyla

SCHIZOPHRENIA

you are being my third person.. where I happen

to pour your tea, to share the cigarettes, where I happen

to come out of my shell. the person whose chair was waiting for me.

my void my craziness my stupidness my disagreement

my being not understood my palatal delight my pleasure

everyone needs a crazy and craziness

and a thirt person to hear from

me on one side and my mind, you as well

wouldn’t I feed you with books and water you with words

wouldn’t I compose poems and write stories out of you

I can do so many things and they get to the kitchen

I can even cook mousaka pilaf cake pastry out of you

I am full and fearless when you are near me

they say forget about it, how come you can forget

your joy, worry, craziness, and possessions ?

nobody ought to say forget about it…

how come you forget about something non-existent ?

that is why

schizophrenias do not recover…

TRANSLATION : MESUT SENOL

şizofreni

sen benim üçüncü şahsım.. nerde bir muhabbet

çayını doldurduğum sigarasını paylaştığım çekingenliğimi

attığım. sandalyesi beni bekleyen.

boşluğum deliliğim aptallığım anlaşmazlığım

anlaşılmazlığım damak tadım hazzım

herkesin bir deliye ve deliliğe ihtiyaç

duyacağı bir üçüncü şahsa ihtiyacı

bir ben bir zihnim, bir de sen

kitaplarla mı beslemem seni, sözcüklerle mi sulamam

şiirler mi yazmam öyküler mi yaratmam senden

neler yaparım neler mutfağa geçer

musakka pilav pasta börek bile çıkartırım senden

karnım tok gözüm pek sen yanımdayken

unut diyorlar insan yaşama sevincini, kaygısını

deliliğini malını mülkünü unutur mu ?

unut demesin hiç kimse…

olmayan nasıl unutulur ?

iyileşmiyor şizofreniler

işte bu sebeple…

NISA LEYLA

NISA LEYLA was born in Iskenderun, Hatay, Turkey in 1972. After completing primary and secondary education in Iskenderun, she graduated from Çukurova University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences in Adana. Later, she held management positions for five years, and served as an English teacher for three years. In her poetry, she focuses on social issues, inspired by real life. She also writes love poems, socialist and lyric poetries. Her poems appear in all major magazines in Turkey such as: Varlık, Yasak Meyve, Sincan İstasyonu, Şiirden, Şiiri Özlüyorum, Mühür,  Papirüs, Deliler Teknesi, Ihlamur, Kuşak Edebiyat, Kurşun Kalem, Kurgan Edebiyat, Hürriyet Gösteri, Şiir, Yeni Adana, Yaşam Sanat, Patika, Yeni Dönem, Tay, Afrodisyas Sanat, Temrin, Ring Edebiyat, Ekin Sanat, Şiir Saati and more of the same.  Her poems published abroad Turkey in several countries of magazines. She also writes short stories and fairytales for children. Her poems have been taken place in: the anthology of Minimal Stories from 252 Authors by Remzi Karabulut, the book of The Gates of Poets by Adil Okay, the anthology of World Poetry Yearbook both in 2013 and 2014 in China, the anthology of Çukurova Poets by Mustafa Emre, the anthology of Literature Platform Yearbook by Turan Karataş, the anthology of Mühür Publishing Yearbook. The Poem “My dress Hanging, There” was performed in Franz Kafka Finishing Thesis in Turkish Poetry. In 1991, she has been the third best poet in the Poetry Contest held by Yeni Adana newspaper. One year later, in poetry contest of İskenderun Fest she has been the best poet of the year. Lastly she won the award of Mevlüt Kaplan Literature Contest 2015 and she invited some international festivals and she has been award with her poem; “PEACE” by the 5. International Literature and Poetry Contest of Galateo City. She has been award with her book “HAYAL DİVAN” by ENVER GÖKÇE POETRY CONTEST 2017 in most importent contest in Turkey. She is also a member of Writers Union of Turkey, member of Turkish Literature associations, Council of Europen Writers, Pen Writers Association ( she is in peace committee). Her books: Dar paçalı dizeler (VERSES WITH NARROW FLARES) (Yazılı Kağıt Publishing, 2014, Ankara). Yokoluş Bir Sözcükse () (Yasak Meyve Publishing, 2015, İstanbul). Sihirli Değnek (Magic Wand) (for children) (Mühür Publishing, 2015, İstanbul). Now, she is editör of Edebiyatist Magazine and she is living in Istanbul, TURKEY.